Disposable diapers provide substantial advantages in convenience over diapers intended to be laundered and reused, particularly when the diapers are used away from home. In recent years, many different disposable diapers have been proposed and some have been successful in the marketplace. Typical disposable diaper structures comprise a facing material to be brought into contact with the infant's skin, an absorptive moisture-retaining layer of relatively high moisture-holding capacity, and a moisture-impervious backing sheet. Typical disposable diaper structures are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,612,055 to Mesek et al., and in U.S. Pat. No. Re. 26,151 to Duncan et al.
As may be seen from the above-cited patents, it has been desirable to obviate the problems that are inherent in closure systems utilizing extraneous fasteners such as safety pins, snaps and zippers, and tab-type adhesive closure systems have been used in lieu of such extraneous fasteners.
The adhesive systems shown in the above-mentioned patents include adhesive tabs which are adhered to the backing sheet and which extend outwardly from opposite sides of the diaper at one end thereof. The exposed areas of the adhesive tabs are provided with cover strips thereon that are readily separable from the adhesive tabs. However, disposable diapers using an adhesive closure system of this general type have the disadvantage in that the consumer must dispose of the cover strips when they are separated from the adhesive strips. This is an inconvenience to the consumer who is placing the diaper on a baby at about the same time.
An illustrative prior art adhesive system having cover strips permanently attached to the diaper is shown in Gellert U.S. Pat. No. 3,646,937. The Gellert arrangement has the disadvantage of having a release surface on the inside of the diaper, where it can possibly come in contact with a baby's tender skin. The closure system illustrated in the Gellert patent also has the disadvantage that it requires the use of two hands to peel back the releasable end of the adhesive tape. Additional disadvantages are the complexities and expense which are added to the manufacturing process because each adhesive closure has to be manipulated on the front side, around the edge, and on the back side of the diaper, instead of handling it on one side only.